JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Brooke Army Medical Center received high marks once again from the Texas Ten Step Program for its commitment to the pursuit of excellence in maternity care and practices.
BAMC achieved a score of 95 percent this year, well above the current requirement of 85 percent.
The Texas Ten Step program provides resources and a framework to help birthing facilities improve health outcomes for lactating women and their infants through the incremental adoption of evidence-based practices.
The designation recognizes hospitals that are implementing policies aligned with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and encourages continued progress toward the gold-standard designation through the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.
The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are the broad framework that guides the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. They were developed by a team of global experts and consist of evidence-based practices that have been shown to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration. Baby-Friendly hospitals and birthing facilities must adhere to the Ten Steps to receive and retain a Baby-Friendly designation.
“Maintaining this designation signals to physicians, prospective patients, and the community our commitment to offer supportive care to breastfeeding mothers and babies,” said Dena Miller, BAMC lactation consultant.
“We support all breastfeeding staff through mother-friendly practices, such as the addition of two new lactation pods along with our current lactation support stations,” she added.
Other initiatives include ongoing training of nursing and medical staff, the use of pasteurized human donor milk as an alternative to formula, the addition of a virtual breastfeeding class, broadcast on the Mother-Baby TV system for patients to watch while hospitalized, and offering outpatient lactation consultant appointments so that families can reach their breastfeeding goals once they return home
“The Texas Ten Step program appreciates your continued work toward improving the care and support for lactating women and infants in our state,” said Betzabel B. Botello, the Texas Ten Step program coordinator from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
For more information about the Texas Ten Step Program, visit http://texastenstep.org/.